To the Future!
by Grencle
Summary: The timeline is sacrosanct.What had already happened is unchangeable and inviolable. At least, that's what they told us, what we were taught from an early age as one of the oldest laws of magic. However, strange things happen to those, who meddle with time.


Author's note: Hi, everyone, this is the first fanfic in English I've ever written so please excuse (and point out in reviews) any mistakes I've made (grammatical or in use of some expressions).

I hope you'll enjoy this unusual Time-Travel fic. I realise now that some passages may seem like a parody that, however, was not my intention. I tried for a bit of romance and humour and I hope I succeeded. Please, tell me, what you think about it. Thanks for reading (if you do so and don't turn away in disgust after you finish reading this note).

Warning: characters may seem a bit OOC and the summary sounds better ( I think) than the story :-)

Disclaimer: All of the recognizable characters, places and mythical creatures are J. K. Rowling's. (Mossy Dwarfs are mine) :-D

**To the Future**

In Remus's opinion it had all happened uncommonly fast. He had always thought that these things take a bit longer to unfold, definitely longer than just a few years and still... He couldn't restrain the grin that spread across his face as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror and brushed the non-existent speck of dust away from his new tuxedo. He had to admit that he didn't look half bad. The ordeal of the last full moon hadn't been nearly as horrible as the previous ones and Remus knew it was all thanks to her.

There were only a few more minutes left till the start of the ceremony and James was nervously tugging at his own tie and telling him to "move it or else" but Remus allowed himself to reflect on the happenings of the past three years...

* * *

_The lightning illuminated their scared faces and the thunder which followed almost instantly made the four students jump and tremble involuntarily. _

_ "Tell me again. Why on Earth are we going there?" groaned one of them as he tried to get rid of the annoying drops of water that obscured his vision. He had a sandy-blond hair and looked really unhappy with the situation he found himself in. A small chubby boy next to him just whimpered but offered no explanation. However, the remaining two simply laughed in answer. _

_ "It'll be fun, Remy, don't worry so much!" said Sirius __g_leefully as he stamped both of his feet into a muddy puddle. He watched with relish as the dirty water splashed all around and at his friends. They, however, didn't look very happy about being both wet and covered in mud and glared at him angrily. That didn't seem to move his conscience at all.

_ "What? We are completely drenched already, aren't we?" said Sirius carelessly and continued jumping into the puddles._

_ "There was no need to get drenched at all! I could have easily put an impervious charm on that bloody cloak!" growled Remus as he tried in vain to find a way to keep his hair dry. "If the two of you __h_adn't taken my wand, there would be a chance that we come out of this alive and don't spend the next fortnight in the Infirmary with a cold." 

_ The other boy, who had been silent till this moment, now scratched his head nervously and tried to wipe his glasses. His Invisibility Cloak was wet and heavy and very uncomfortable to wear. _

_ "Don't be so pessimistic, Moony," said James half-heartedly, he also began to see the idiocy of their plan. _

_ "My fellow men," shouted Sirius but his attempt at speech was silenced by more deathly glares from his friends. "I mean, guys, we promised Hagrid to feed that Aragog for him. We **promised**!" _

_ "Woah, hold on, mate," disagreed Remus. "**You** promised! We didn't even know about it until this very evening, remember? You made this promise to Hagrid and you didn't even think to ask what in hell this Aragog is or where to find it?" _

_ However, when they stepped into the Forbidden Forest all thoughts of argument quickly vanished from their minds. The lightnings that crossed the night sky created dangerous looking shadows in places of trees that even in daylight seemed very threatening. _

_ "It might be a young unicorn foal, whose mother's left him," suggested Peter squeakily. _

_ "Yeah, right. 'Cause Aragog is just a fantastic name for an unicorn foal," noted Remus with sarcasm. "If we're lucky, it'll only a multi-headed Hydra."_

_ "Don't be so pessi..." James started to say again but was interrupted by another deafening thunder. For a while they stood in silence with only James opening his mouth to try and finish his earlier statement, but he never got the chance. Instead he pointed at something ahead of them and let out a scream of horror._

_ There was something, lying on the ground motionless. Its limbs were bent out at such awkward angles that Remus didn't dare say what it was. If he __had_n't known any better, he would say it was...

_ "Lily!" cried James anxiously and started to sprint towards the thing that looked suspiciously like a human being with long red hair. James tore off his cloak and ran the fastest he could, the others followed right behind him and even Peter moved at surprising speed._

_ "Oh no, it can't be! That's impossible," repeated James breathlessly as he threw himself on his knees beside the figure. They turned the body over, fearing the worst, and almost sighed in relief. The girl lying there was not Lily. Their relief, however, was short lived. The girl's face was covered in bruises, her robe cut in many places and soaked with blood. _

_ Her eyes suddenly sprung open and she took a shallow breath. As she looked at them, her eyes seemed to widen in disbelief._

_ "Harry?" she croaked. "You're alive..." With that her eyes closed again. _

* * *

_"Isn't she weird?" whispered Sirius as she passed them by with her head lowered and didn't even glance their way. James and Peter simply shrugged but Remus gave him a reproaching look. _

_ "What?" asked Sirius defensively. "We saved her, didn't we? And she acts as if she doesn't know us." _

_ Remus just lifted his eyebrow. _

_ "She **doesn't** know us," he said. "I admit that a simple greeting or a word of thanks wouldn't hurt, but you saw the state she was in when we found her. God knows, what __had_ happened to her. So you can't really blame her for not coming for a chat." 

_ He himself was a bit disappointed that they didn't get a chance to get to know each other. It wasn't as if they were Slytherins, was it? They shared the same common room even..._

_ "I don't even know her name..." grumbled Sirius and to show his displeasure he stabbed his toast angrily. That __g_ot him another reproachful look from Remus. But now it contained a little bit of some other emotion. 

_ "That girl obviously went through hell and back! Don't tell me you're hitting on her!" cried Remus indignantly. _

_ "Me? Hit on somebody?" cried Sirius with fake outrage. "Well, I never..."_

* * *

_He had to admit that she was beautiful with her scars healed completely. But he liked her even with those angry-looking red marks on her perfect snow-white skin. She stood by her cauldron right next to Lily and her hair fell over her shoulders, resembling a fiery waterfall. Sirius nudged him lightly. _

_ "That girl obviously went through hell and back. Don't tell me you're hitting on her!" Sirius whispered mockingly into his ear the words that he himself had told him just a few months ago. Remus really didn't want to blush, but..._

_ "You're seeing things," Remus forced out uncomfortably but his eyes never left her. The way she cut her flobberworm, with such a grace and elegance! He immediately wanted to slap himself for such a stupid thought. _

_ She looked up from her cauldron and her beautiful chocolate-coloured eyes bore into his. She held his gaze for a moment but then, as t__h_ou_g__h_ realising that she had done something rude, lowered her eyes back to her flobberworm. 

_ "I bet he's better to look at than me," mumbled Remus in a quiet, sad tone and tore his gaze away from her. _

_ "What did you just say?" hissed a very confused Sirius from his hunched position at the cauldron. "That it's better to add more vials of rat spleen?" _

_ "You're hearing things," sighed Remus unhappily and continued to stir his Felix Felicis. _

* * *

_"I'm telling you, I smell treachery!" shouted Sirius who was in his giving-speech mood. The others rolled their eyes. The amount of dramatic speeches they had to listen to was increasing daily. _

_ "The end of term's made him barking mad," laughed James._

_ "I can't smell a thing," squeaked Peter, sniffing. _

_ "That's just an expression, Pete," said Remus calmingly. "And I think James is right. You're being paranoid, Pads." _

_ But Padfoot just waved off their comments as usual. _

_ "She appeared out of nowhere. No one has ever seen her here before. So, __h_ow come then that she had worn a Hogwarts uniform with Gryffindor red and gold? She had called out some chap's name..."

_ "You'd be calling Harry, too, if the amount of blood in your system had been reduced by a good half," retorted Remus. _

_ "Calm down, Remy," Sirius almost purred in pleasure at getting a reaction and continued with his theory: "She treats us like a plague, even though we had saved her. She never raises a hand in class, attends meals as the last one always, the only person she has ever spoken to is Lily and she meets Dumbledore in his office at seven o'clock every day."_

_ Sirius finished with his speech, confidently leaned into his bedpost and folded his hands. They just stared at him with their mouths wide open. _

_ "You stalked her?" shouted James and Remus simultaneously. James sounded indignant, Remus was outraged. _

_ "Calm down, gentleman," purred Sirius again. "I don't go for red-heads." _

_ "Elois Mitchell, Adraina Flarburry, Selena Antaluna, Athena Sixten..." counted Peter in his high voice. Sirius glared at him. _

_ "Well, not any more!" Padfoot retorted. "And that's completely beside the point. By the way, wasn't a certain girl the main reason for Prongs coming up with our briliant Map?" _

* * *

_"It's just not right!" hissed Remus at his three companions. They were crammed into a small alcove next to the door of Dumbledore's office. That was Sirius's idea, of course. Headmaster's usual visitor was just being carried on the magical stairs. She looked around with suspicion, then knocked on the door and entered. _

_ "Shut up," hissed Sirius back when she was safely inside. "You're just as curious as the rest of us. This is a perfect opportunity for trying out our new invention and you know it." _

_ He pulled four funnel-looking objects out of his pocket and cast an Engorgio charm. _

_ "I'm not forcing you to take it," he said with a grin as Remus reluctantly took his funnel. _

_ "..., sir." He heard the girl's voice. Never before had he heard her speak, she sounded like an angel. _

_ "Good evening," answered Dumbledore. Remus heard an unpleasant scratching sound as she pulled a chair for herself and almost saw in his mind Dumbledore inclining his hand for her to do so. _

_ "How was your day?" asked Dumbledore politely. _

_ A sigh._

_ "There are no news of Riddle's Horcruxes. I went down to the Chamber..."_

_ "You cannot be serious," thundered Dumbledore. "Do you have any idea of the..."_

_ "Of the danger?" answered her voice with amusement. "Yes, I do. Riddle lured me there when I was eleven. There's nothing to worry about now. The basilisk is fast asleep in one of the locked rooms in the Chamber and the only one who can wake him is the Slytherin's own heir." _

_ Remus gasped. She was talking about the Chamber of Secrets and a basilisk with so casually__!_ What on Earth was that riddle and Horcruxes? And why was she interested in it?

_ There was a moment of silence in the office. _

_ "So, I went down to the Chamber," she continued as if Dumbledore __had_ never interrupted. "And I searched through some of the rooms. There's a lot of interesting things just lying around. Would you believe that Slytherin had his own office, a private pantry, a store room full of very exotic wands and bits of shell of the basilisk egg in a beautifully engraved golden box?"

_ Remus's eyes almost fell out of t__heir_ sockets. And there was a sound of frantic gulping of some liquid from Headmaster's office. 

_ "That is incredible, indeed," voiced out Dumbledore after a while, sounding hoarse. "Proceed."_

_ "But there was no trace of dark magic, whatsoever." A giggle. "Well, there were some ugly curses, but just from Salazar. Sadly, there's no Horcrux down there." _

_ The silence lasted just for a while. _

_ "How can you be so sure?" asked Dumbledore doubtfully. _

_ "I haven't seen it nor have I felt it. It isn't there," she replied. _

_ "Those are very uncommon abilities for a witch of your age," offered Dumbledore. _

_ "No offence, sir, but I don't have any special abilities. Living in constant danger just sharpens one's senses and where I come from is a very dangerous place." She gave a mirthless laugh as if at some private sad joke. _

_ There was another moment of silence. _

_ "I don't doubt that," said Dumbledore gently. "If there's anything I can help you with, I assure you I will do it."_

_ She just sighed sadly. _

_ "I'm afraid you can't help me now. You are the Headmaster and the final exams are coming up. The students are nervous and the professors are fighting for their sanity. I doubt you could go away to look for Horcruxes without Hogwarts blowing up." _

_ Dumbledore chortled and the mood was lightened. _

_ "If you have any problems, don't hesitate tell me about it," he said with finality. _

_ Again there was a chair scratching on wood and then steps. _

_ "In fact, there is something." Remus heard her say all of sudden. _

_ "Yes?"_

_ "Could you watch James, Sirius, Remus and Peter for me? I think Sirius suspects something, I saw him stalking me and I bet he's watching on that brilliant Map of theirs." _

_ Now there were four eyes almost falling out of sockets. How was it possible that she knew about their Map? _

_ "Wouldn't it be better to tell them the truth? The Marauders and Miss Evans are all very bright and I'm sure they could help you. After all it is mainly their future you want to change, is it not?" _

_ Four mouths fell open. _

_ "And you think they would believe me?" she said doubtfully. "That would go over so well. Good morning, professor Lupin, you may not remember me but you taught me DADA in the future, exactly 20 years from now. Yes, I know that the sentence doesn't make sense, the tenses just don't seem right, do they? But it's the truth I am from the future. An evidence? I don't have one, you'll just have to believe me." _

_ Sarcasm was evident in her voice and the four boys just sat in their alcove in stunned silence. _

_ "They would think I'm a fruit cake." _

_ "I'm sure you underestimate them, Miss Weasley." _

* * *

_She entered the common room and stopped suddenly. Remus grinned. He was sure she hadn't expected anyone to be still awake. Especially not the Marauders and Lily. _

_ "Hi, Gin," said Lily in a suspiciously light voice as she pulled the other red-head into a seat next to herself. "To save you the trouble of wondering, we know everything." _

_ She looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights. _

_ "I don't know what you're talking about. What everything?" she tried to deny. _

_ "Professor Lupin, hmm?" said Remus quietly. _

* * *

_She was gasping for breath as she tossed her hair off her sweaty forehead. She looked so beautiful. _

_ "Are you alright, Remus?" asked Ginny worriedly. He just nodded in affirmation. "Good, because we have to run and very quickly if we are to find them in time."_

_ Again, he only nodded, saving his breath. They had been running around that bloody forest for an awfully long time, looking for those three idiots they lost. Idiotic Albany! _

_ And again they took off. He was holding that stupid diadem and she clutched a portkey in her hand. The portkey was their only chance at getting back to Hogwarts and was presently growing more and more green. _

_ "Oh shit, oh shit, **oh shit**!" screamed Ginny and Remus didn't bother to remind her of her language. Had he more breath to waste, he'd be cursing, too. None of their group knew intercontinental Apparating and unless he and Ginny found Sirius, James and Lily in the next five minutes, they would all be stuck in a foreign country with no means of getting home. _

_ Suddenly, Ginny stopped her swearing._

_ "Listen, Remus," she began. "I have an idea. If we don't find them, you'll use the portkey and get Dumbledore to..."_

_ "No way!" cried Remus. "There is no way I'm going to go to safety and leave you here on your own. There are suppposed to be Mossy Dwarfs, hags and vampires in this forest!"_

_ "Yeah, and all of them might be presently feasting on our friends! We have to find them but if we don't..."_

_ "I said no. You go and I'll stay!"_

_ "Listen, I'm going to be alright. It's important that Dumbledore destroys the Horcrux as soon as possible, so one of us has to go, deliver it and bring help. And it would be much better if you went because..."_

_ He did the only thing he thought of to interrupt her. She yelped in surprised, when he kissed her, and continued to mumble unintelligibly against his lips but he was surprised to find no other resistance. His surprise only grew when he felt her fingers running through is hair. She opened her mouth and moaned when..._

_ "What's this?" cried an angry voice. It sounded very much like Sirius's and Sirius was the last person on earth that Remus now wanted to see. _

_ "We spend the last two hours running around and looking for them like crazy and meanwhile..." said James amusedly and Remus groaned. Couldn't they wait for a while? Or come at some other time?_

_ "They've been snogging!" finished Sirius James's sentence in outrage. _

_ "Erm, erm," Lily cleared her throat. They reluctantly pulled apart. Both were a bit dizzy and Ginny held her eyelids firmly closed. _

_ "I don't want to get up, Mummy," she mumbled and snuggled up to Remus, who was turning bright red. "I had the best dream ever..." _

_ The three intruders burst out laughing and Ginny's eyes flew open only to have her face burn in a bright shade of red that clashed with her hair. _

_ "Come on, you two, the portkey is ready to take off."_

* * *

_"An attack! There'll be an attack at Hogwarts!" cried Ginny as soon as she fell out of the fireplace at James and Lily's at Godric's Hollow. All the Order members in the room jumped to their feet in alarm and ran to her. Remus was the first and hugged her around the shoulders. _

_ "Are you sure? How do you know?" Everyone asked breathlessly. _

_ "Dumbledore," she gasped out. "Dumbledore just told me. Snape had informed him. Peter... a traitor." _

_ The room fell silent. Remus had already known, Ginny had told him all about the future she desperately tried to keep from happening. The rest of Marauders and Lily knew most of it but Ginny had kept the bit about Peter's betrayal to herself. She had hoped he would chose better in this reality. _

_ Together they had made away with many Horcruxes and the Order had taken care of the rest. Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle, Slytherin's heir, a half-blood, was now mortal again. That, however, did not make him any less dangerous. Even though they had fought only against his Death Eaters and had never met the terrible Dark Lord __himself_, Ginny had told them all about his past and present actions, even what could happen if they failed to prevent her future. 

_ "Inform the others and Apparate to Hogwarts, immediately," said Ginny when she caught her breath again. "Voldemort's there in 30 minutes." _

_ And the rush began as everyone hurried to the Apparation point in the backyard. In the end only five of them remained. Lily was stroking her protruding stomach worriedly and James was hugging her tightly, as if to assure her and himself that everything was going to be alright. _

_ "I won't allow them to hurt you or Harry," James whispered to Lily and kissed the top of her head. Then he got up and without another word threw some Floo powder into the grate. Green flames almost licked the ceiling as he stepped into the fireplace with a last loving smile. _

_ "I didn't get to say goodbye," sobbed Lily, still looking at the place where her husband had stood not a minute ago. _

_ "James didn't want to say goodbye, Lils," whispered Ginny. It was an unnatural sound in the still silence. Lily only sobbed harder. "There was no reason for saying goodbye because he is going to come back to you again." _

_ And so they stood there. Neither wanted to move but they all knew there was a battle to be fought. They said goodbye to Lily and put final warding charms on the house and then Sirius, Remus and Ginny Apparated to Hogwarts. _

_ They landed close to the Whomping Willow, with the anti-apparating enchantments allowing them to do so. The tree stood high, tall, imposing and surprisingly motionless. Just once in a while it made a sudden movement as if stretching before an exercise. The Willow wanted to fight too._

_ "Are you sure, you don't want to go back to Lily? It would be better, if there was someone to watch over her in case..." This time it was Ginny who kissed him to silence him. A great feeling of happiness and oblivion spread through his body and it was like waking up from the most beautiful dream when she pulled away and he was forced to face the cruel reality. _

_ "I want to stay with you, I want to fight," she whispered before kissing him lightly again. _

_ "Isn't this cute, a wolf and his Little Red," said a dangerous voice of Bellatrix Lestrange. "Avada Kedavra!" _

_ A flash of green light cut through the twilight around the Hogwarts Castle and the silence which followed was interrupted only by a muffed sound of a body falling on the grass. The Battle of Hogwarts began. _

* * *

_It was a week later that Remus woke up in bed. He sat up and slowly looked around. He recognised Hogwarts' Infirmary at once, after all he had spent his share of time there as a student. The room was enlarged and most of the beds were occupied with unconscious bodies._

_ "You're awake," stated a tired voice by his bed. He turned sharply only to feel a piercing pain shoot through his head. _

_ "Sirius," he greeted his best friend weakly. "What happened?" _

_ He felt ashamed for a moment. He did not remember a thing from the great battle. Only Bellatrix as she..._

_ "Ginny?" he shouted. "How's Ginny? Where is she?" _

_ "What do you recall?" said Sirius, ignoring his question. "The Healer said to find out what you recall, so we know your memory is alright." _

_ "We had been standing by the Whomping Willow and then Bellatrix had appeared and then... What happened to Ginny? Where is she?" shouted Remus. He had to know the truth, he just had to! _

_ "Mate," began Sirius calmingly and Remus begged whatever deity was out there for Ginny to be alright. "Ginny was..."_

_ "...crazy with worry!" said a shaky voice from the door. He raised his head sharply and ignored the piercing pain. She stood there with her red hair falling around her head in gentle waves and Remus thought she had never looked more beautiful._

_ "Ginny," Remus breathed out with relief. _

_ "Don't you Ginny me!" cried the red head angrily, wiping her tears away. "Have you __got_ any idea how worried I was? The curse missed you by a nose!" 

_ He didn't know what she said and he didn't care. The only important thing in the world was her beautiful voice and the fact that she was alright. Sirius was rambling something or other but his manly baritone just interfered with the angelic sound of her voice. _

_ Remus raised __himself _from the bed and barefoot walked across the room towards his Ginny. He ignored her and Sirius's protest about what the Healer did or did not say to do. The only important thing in the whole universe was his Ginny. 

_ He was in front of her in few long strides, hugged her close and then kissed her like there was no tomorrow. With his eyes wide open, as if fearing she would disappear the minute he closed them, he caressed her lips with his own. He watched with relish every flutter of her eyelids. _

_ "Mate, I was scared for you too!" cried Sirius with an injured expression. _

* * *

_"What's going on, Jamie?" Remus forced out between his yawns as he walked to the fireplace. There levitated the head of his friend._

_ "What's going on?" shrieked James. "Lily is in labour and I've been trying to __g__et __hold of_ you two for the last three hours." That woke Remus up. 

_ "We'll be there in a minute," he shouted excitedly and ran up the stairs to wake Ginny. There was no need, she had been standing on the landing in her night gown. Together they ran frantically to their room in search for clothes. _

_ The witch sitting at the reception desk immediately recognised by their disheveled faces what department they were lookin__g_ for. 

_ "The eighth floor, maternity ward." _

_ They rushed to the lift and when inside Remus started to batter the button with the number eight on it. _

_ "It might help it to go faster," explained Remus at Ginny's incredulous look. It didn't and the lift continued its journey at an excruciatingly slow pace. When the door finally opened and they hurried out, a happy voice was presently announcing:_

_ "Harry's a girl! Harry's a girl!" _

* * *

"Hurry up, Remy," James almost whined. "You look great, the tux looks great, so move your ass away from the mirror. You don't want to be late, do you, and the christening will not be delayed!"

"I'm coming," answered Remus calmly as he woke up from his memories.

Together they walked into the enlarged backyard at Godric's Hollow. There was a minister standing at the end of the aisle. Remus moved to him and waited for his Ginny to appear.

Again she stunned him as she walked down the aisle. She looked so gorgeous in her white flowing dress, her hair shining in the sunlight.

"Dear beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate..." the minister began and Remus zoned out in the middle of his first sentence. It was his Ginny again who was the only important thing in the universe and Remus couldn't wait to be able to prove it to her.

"Remus John Lupin, do you take Ginevra Molly Weasley to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Remus started, he almost forgot this part of the ceremony.

"Yes, I do," he said finally, when he remembered what it was that he was supposed to say.

"You may kiss the bride," said the minister winking at him. Remus simply raised his eyebrow and proceeded to do what he wanted to do from the moment she entered the garden. She was Ginny Lupin now and he could kiss her whenever and wherever he liked without that greasy old man having a say.

"And this old dodo is to christen little Harry!" Remus whispered to Ginny's ear as they received many heartfelt congratulations. The last to come was Lily with her tiny baby-daughter in her arms. Ginny smiled gently at the small bundle of blankets and stroked the little baby's face. With happy tears in her eyes she said:

"I'm going to drink to your health now as I suspect that Remus will kidnap me from your christening party. So, good luck, Harry, and to the future!"


End file.
